Whole Candied Fruit

[natasha1270]

I used Lucy's recipe for my first batch and this recipe for candied algerian clementines for my second.

With the 1st recipe (shown in the pic above), the fruit turned the most translucent. The 2nd I had a higher percentage that retained shape but the fruit also darkened more.

I'm a little candied out right now but I also found this process that goes a little deeper into the percentages and fruit selection, etc. that I would like to experiment with:

http://www.workphilippines.net/livelihood/food-processing/how-to-make-candied-fruits-and-vegetables-work-philippines/

another picture (btw: the cut up fruit was one of the collapse victims)

Edited April 29, 2011 by natasha1270 (log)

[Lindacakes]

Well, there is a sad end to this story.

I did not have the heart to photograph the Agony.

I let the fruit sit for a month. During which time all fruits collapsed in on themselves. When I opened the jar, there were some small white spots I assumed were mold. I cut open all the fruits to see what happened. They were stringier than the photo above, and in spite of the mold, I tasted them. Not good. Not horrible, but not good. I threw them all out.

I'm just now starting to heal and feeling like candied lemon peel would be just the ticket.

I am through with whole fruits for the time being. I suspect my problem was not enough punctures in the skin and/or too high a concentration of glucose.

I did buy three half citrons intending to make a fruit cake that I decided not to make. So far I have made Modena Rice Pudding from Lynn Rosetto Kasper's Splendid Table, which was splendid indeed. Next I'll try a chocolate spice cake from Joy of Cooking.

The fascination with candied fruit continues if the ability to create them does not.

[andiesenji]

Linda, your small white spots may have been sugar crystals.

With any syrup cooked for that length of time, crystal form rapidly.

I've held fruits in syrup for months with no mold formation - but plenty of crystals.

It is easy to test, lift out the part with the white spots and apply a few drops of warm water. If sugar crystals, it will become transparent after a few minutes, mold won't be affected.

[heidih]

The ecstasy! This was my first time candying whole fruit and I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not sure if this is how they are supposed to turn out on the inside but at least a couple did not totally collapse so I thought I would open one up and take a picture:

The reduced syrup is like a very fragrant orange blossom honey but still runny. It seems like there is a point where they become oversaturated and thus prone to collapse because only the larger mandarins 'survived' while all the smaller ones collapsed.

This gorgeous shot and your description of the syrup taste makes me want to try it with my excess of tangerines. Research to be done.......

[natasha1270]

Linda - sad to hear of your fruit malfunction I hope you will give it another try.

Heidi - I used the Murcott Mini-Mandarins from Ripe to You. Since you have your own trees, I wonder if you used lightly under-ripe fruit, you might have better luck with achieving uncollapsed candied fruit?

[heidih]

Linda - sad to hear of your fruit malfunction I hope you will give it another try.

Heidi - I used the Murcott Mini-Mandarins from Ripe to You. Since you have your own trees, I wonder if you used lightly under-ripe fruit, you might have better luck with achieving uncollapsed candied fruit?

Unfortunately they are fully ripe and need to be picked. Will do some research.

[ermintrude]

Well cracked open my Jar today and all had collapsed apart from two, when I opened the jar there was gas released which implied that some fermentation had gone on, I'd have thought it would have been too sweet to allow this but no. Tasted the collapsed fruit and yuk, dried out insides so FAIL. There were two clementines were not collapsed and looked good but on tasting while the insides were ok they were not very nice and the skin was not edible but I could see potential there.

Why did it fail, I've no idea as this was my first attempt but have some ideas.

The fruit was waxed - I thought boiling would have removed this but next time will scrub and scrub.

Not enough holes, while I used a needle to make loads of holes next time will try a small knitting needle through the middle.

Anyone have any other ideas ?

[Lindacakes]

Perhaps this is why we see whole candied fruit so rarely.

[powerwhisk]

Sorry to come so late to the party; I joined, in part, so that I could comment on this.

I started to play with whole dried oranges about this same time. I didn't have clementines available, so I used tangelos and mandarins. I also made a (failed) attempt at candying key limes. I learned a few things that may come in useful for you.

First off, the fresher the fruit, the less of a chance there seems to be that it's going to implode during the cooking. Also, higher temps wreak havoc; anything above a bare simmer seems to be ill-advised. But if your fruit does implode, fear not, it will taste good just the same. I did a large batch, and ended up giving a few to a friend at work. He in turn used them as the sweetening agent while making ginger cookies. So if you're worried about presentation, just use the dented oranges in your baking instead.

There is a gourmet market near me that imports whole, candied Valencia oranges from Spain. I picked one up from there, and discovered a 1/4" hole drilled in the bottom of the orange. Apparently that's pretty normal, and I think it's a way better idea than pricking holes all over the orange like you and I did. When I tried my key limes, I didn't know to put holes in them, and they all dented.

On a side note, I candied some kumquats this week, and poked a single hole in the stem end of each one. Some of them dented, some didn't, but they all tasted excellent. When they were finished, I rolled half of them in sugar before putting them on the dehydrator at 95F for a day, and the sugared ones ended up having a firmer skin, and a more balanced flavor.

Hope I was able to help a little.

[Darienne]

Use of collapsed candied fruits: I chopped up my collapsed Kumquats and used them as an inclusion in ice cream.

[natasha1270]

My boss recently brought back these incredibly delicious Chocotejas - Dulce de Leche & Candied Peel filled Chocolates from Peru. Ever since, I've been thinking of filling a few of my candied mandarins with Dulce and dipping them whole in chocolate.

[Kerry Beal]

I'm away from my cookbooks and at lunch time today pulled a nice sized angelica plant from the ground (pictures later) - wonder if anyone could look through their books and give me a couple of suggestions for candying methods for it? I think I have Time-Life Candy at the condo and I know I have Greweling up here - but I'm not sure if I'll find what I'm after in either of those.

[andiesenji]

I use this method. From A Gardener's Table.

It is identical to a recipe in one of my old pre-WWI cookbooks. The only difference is in the amount.

The original recipe specifies 5 pounds of angelica stems. Oy!

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks Andi. I realized when I got home that this angelica is probably too far gone for candying - the stems are purple - and apparently this should be done in April/May when the stems are green and tender.

I've got some seeds at home - I'll germinate and plant them so they are ready for next spring.

[Lindacakes]

Excellent tips, Powerwhisk, thank you.

That angelica stalk is remarkable. Imagine the first person to behold it and think, "Candy."

[andiesenji]

Angelica grew wild in the woods where I grew up and we gathered it in the spring (along with asparagus and other wild things, like ramps, wild garlic, elderflowers, sassafras roots, etc.) and it was candied and dried but some was candied and left in the syrup to flavor it. It was mostly used as cake decorations but my great-grandmother like to use a stick of it to stir and sweeten her tea.

[Mjx]

Thanks Andi. I realized when I got home that this angelica is probably too far gone for candying - the stems are purple - and apparently this should be done in April/May when the stems are green and tender.

I've got some seeds at home - I'll germinate and plant them so they are ready for next spring.

Kerry, I candied some angelica stalks a few months back, and although they're nicest in the spring/early summer, if the smaller shoots (?) of the stalk are flexible, not string-y, and fragrant, they'll do just fine.

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks Andi. I realized when I got home that this angelica is probably too far gone for candying - the stems are purple - and apparently this should be done in April/May when the stems are green and tender.

I've got some seeds at home - I'll germinate and plant them so they are ready for next spring.

Kerry, I candied some angelica stalks a few months back, and although they're nicest in the spring/early summer, if the smaller shoots (?) of the stalk are flexible, not string-y, and fragrant, they'll do just fine.

Darn - I read something that said only use the main stalks so I pitched the whole plant. Ah well - next year!

[Jonathan J]

Great thread. I wonder if anyone has experience candying calamondins. I usually make mine into marmalade, but want to try something different. Thanks.

[Jonathan J]

I candied the calamondins. They collapsed and were a somewhat off color (they weren't very orange when picked). The flavor was great, but they were very seedy. Don't think I will do it again as they were too much trouble picking out the seeds.

[TylerK]

Has anyone tried the candying process with previously frozen fruit? I was unable to locate any fresh sour cherries this summer, but when I was at the grocery store I saw large tubs of sour cherries in the freezer section. Wondering if I should give it a try. Home-made glacee cherries taste so much better than the coloured "scary cherries" you find in the grocery store.